Michał Ryszard Żewłakow (born 22 April 1976) is a Polish football pundit, co-commentator and former professional player who played as a defender. He captained the Poland national team and is its third most capped player ever. Besides Poland, he has played in Belgium, Greece, and Turkey.

Club career

Early career in Poland

Born in Warsaw in April 1976, Żewłakow spent eight years with Polonia Warsaw and broke into the first team in the 1996–97 season.

Belgium

Żewłakow was loaned to Belgium's KSK Beveren in October 1998 before signing – together with his twin brother Marcin – for Mouscron for a combined fee of €485,000. Żewłakow went on to become a key player, helping the club reach the 2002 Belgian Cup final.

Anderlecht

After following coach Hugo Broos to Anderlecht, in his second season he made his UEFA Champions League debut as Anderlecht wrested back the Belgian title from Club Brugge. The next season, he lost his place but regained for the 2005–06 campaign as Anderlecht won the league again.

Olympiacos

In the summer 2006, Żewłakow moved to Olympiacos on a free transfer.

Ankaragücü

At the end of the 2009–10 season, after reportedly receiving a low contract offer from Olympiacos, Żewłakow decided not to renew his contract. On 16 June 2010, Turkish club Ankaragücü signed him on a free transfer.

Legia Warsaw

In June 2011, Żewłakow joined Polish club Legia Warsaw on a one-year contract.

International career

The Poland national team's first-choice left-back during qualifying for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Żewłakow was the only player to appear in all ten of his country's qualifying matches. He played in two games at the 2002 World Cup and was a regular in qualifying for UEFA EURO 2004 and the 2006 World Cup, where he again appeared three times in the finals in Germany.

Personal life

Michał Żewłakow has a twin brother, Marcin, who played as a striker. They became the first twins ever to play together for Poland when they were picked in the starting lineup to face France in February 2000 and were teammates at the 2002 World Cup.

Career statistics

International

Honours

Anderlecht Olympiacos Legia Warsaw Individual